Park City (Part 2)

We did so many awesome things, but spending Wednesday at the Park City Mountain Resort was definitely the most fun! And boy did we pick the right time of the summer to visit - it was absolutely deserted. We practically had the run of the place.

Spencer's favorite thing of the whole trip was the Alpine Coaster. It's basically a roller coaster - you get towed up the mountain in your sled and then zoom down, twisting and turning the whole way. You have a brake, but we weren't interested in brakes! We must've ridden it 20-25 times and considering one of the operators told us that in peak season people wait 3 hours to ride it, we were supremely lucky! I bought the picture below at the resort because it's not really possible to get pictures otherwise. We were having so much fun!

We also took the ski lift up the mountain and rode the Alpine Slide. It's similar to the coaster, in that you are on a little sled with a brake, but it's more of a "chute" than a track. After our first ride, Dave was walking away from the slide and said he thought a bee stung him. Then he realized it was still inside his shirt! No idea how a bee flies into your shirt when you're coming down a mountain that fast. (Again, not really possible to get pictures of this activity...)

Sidebar: I have to say that the ski lifts terrified me for some reason. I haven't been skiing since the late 80s so I didn't remember what ski lifts were like. But having Spencer on there just about freaked me out. He was so wiggly that I thought he was going to slide ride out at any minute. I honestly felt like I was going to have a panic attack at the PCMR (the Olympic Park one didn't bother me quite as much, but it wasn't as high either).

I am faking happiness big time.

We also did mini golf, rock wall climbing, rope climbing, carousel, etc. at the base of the mountain. Daddy went all the way to the top of the rock wall; Spencer got up quite a few feet; Mommy made it like 2 feet! Maybe I have a fear of heights?

Later in the afternoon we took the ski lift up again (cringe!) but this time Spencer and Daddy did the Alpine Slide and when they got to the base they texted me so they could watch me come down on the zip line! I had never done a zip line and the idea was intriguing but also terrifying, so I really wanted to conquer my fear and do it. The 10 minutes or so that I was waiting for them to text me felt like an eternity, with me growing more nervous every second. The ride was a blast! The first couple of seconds were terrifying - almost felt like I was just falling from the sky - but then it was just fine. And the best part was having Spencer run up to greet me afterwards, exclaiming I was "Zip Line Champion!"

Spencer and I also did a mini zip line called the Flying Eagle. We got to ride together so that was awesome. We have a little daredevil on our hands, I think!

 

We stayed at the resort until 7PM - a marathon day for sure. Hope we can return one day!

 

Next up: Our favorite scenic spot of the trip...

Brenham, Texas

We had a nice little overnight stay in Brenham last weekend. One of my besties, Alison, has a family home there. I met her there a few months ago for a quick girls' night catchup, and we decided then that we'd return soon with our families. Glad we made it happen!

Spencer and Garrett, who had only met once before 2 years ago, hit off from the start. They did lots of grasshopper hunting, remote control car driving, iPod Touch-ing, LEGO-ing, and general crazy-little-boy-runing-around-ing.

Catching grasshoppers.

Electronics break.

Spencer (4.75), Kenzie (almost 12), Garrett (7)

Best of friends since 5th grade. Disclaimer: We were working with major humidity and heat.

Leaving friends is hard and sad sometimes.

I realized after we got home that Alison's daughter, Kenzie, is the age Alison and I were when we met. It's such a neat experience to have lifelong friends and then see your own kids together. Speaking of Kenzie, she demonstrated a cool face swapping app on her phone that produced this image that will be forever burned into your brain...

I look like a combo of Jane Lynch and the Deliverance kid.

Alison, Tom and the kids had to leave mid-morning, so we decided to head into Brenham for a little shopping and an early lunch at Must Be Heaven. While we were in line, Spencer picked up a brochure for Horseshoe Junction - a little amusement park type place with putt-putt, go-karts, etc. He really made a case for going, so we decided why not? (Well one reason to have not gone was the EXTREME HEAT, but we soldiered on.)

First there was putt-putt.

Daddy and Spencer on the bumper boats.

Getting ready to race (yes, Mommy was just a little bit nervous).

Mini bowling - I had never heard of this but it was really fun.

He got a strike! No bumpers either!

Slingshot jumper (not a lot of slinging action...).

Awesome weekend with friends! Can't wait to go back to Brenham this fall.